Order of the Dragon Lady
by SPB
Summary: (Originally published on FimFiction.) Starlight accompanies Spike to the dragon lands when he's summoned by Dragon Lady Ember. Once there, the two discover Garble has been stirring up trouble. But will Starlight be able to overcome her self doubts to help Spike and Ember?


"There is no revenge you could ever _conceive_ of that will come close to what I will exact upon you one day, Starlight Glimmer!" Ever since that fateful day when the queen (now ex-queen) of all changelings had rejected Starlight's offer of redemption and run off, those words had been lingering in Starlight's mind. She'd tried to no avail to push them to the back of her mind and forget about them, convinced they were little more than an empty threat.

But Starlight found herself thinking of those exact words more often than she would've imagined, and there was one question that kept nagging at the back of her mind. "Was there more I could've done to convince her?"

There was supposedly a saying that went "You learn more from your failures than you do your successes.", but Starlight was struggling to figure out just what she was supposed to have learned from the entire ordeal. If Twilight had been able to reach out to her of all beings and find a way to offer her a chance to become good, Starlight felt that surely she could've done the same. Yet Chrysalis had slapped her hoof away and fled, and she still hadn't been caught.

Was the lesson supposed to be that not everyone can be saved? That not everyone gets a second chance? Starlight already knew that a little from Applejack's friendship mission to Las Pegasus with Fluttershy, the apple farmer had mentioned upon return how Flim and Flam had gone right back to their old con pony ways after ousting Gladmane from his establishment. But Flim and Flam were not a threat to Equestria like Chrysalis had been, and Starlight had convinced herself that the queen was misguided. In many ways, Starlight could see a lot of her old self in the ex-queen, including that desire for power and a belief that she alone knew what was best. And if she could not redeem someone who embodied those traits she'd vowed never to embrace again, what did that say for the pale pinkish-purple coated unicorn herself? Did that mean there was still a chance she could regress?

" _Perhaps I worded my argument wrong, or I didn't make it compelling enough._ " Starlight thought to herself, as she lay in her bed, reflecting for what felt like the hundredth time on that faithful rescue mission. She attempted to calm herself by doing what she always did when stressed, levitating a few different shaped wooden blocks around with her magic. But even that wasn't working, all she could think about was Chrysalis and her failure to redeem her.

Indeed, Starlight's thoughts were only interrupted by a knock on the door. "It's open." She called, not particularly caring who might come in.

The door knob turned ever so slowly, and into the room strolled Spike. Right away, the dragon could tell something was troubling Starlight. With her living under the same roof as him for months now, it was easy to sense when Twilight's student wasn't happy. "Hey, Starlight," He greeted in a friendly tone, hoping to get a feel for how concerned she was with whatever occupied her mind. "Is something wrong?"

Despite the noticeable frown on her face, Starlight was quick to respond with. "There's nothing wrong, I'm absolutely, perfectly fine. No need to worry yourself."

Spike refused to believe Starlight's words, she was never good at lying to him and he knew it. "Starlight, you've been acting weird for weeks now. I know something's troubling you."

"And why do you care so much?" Starlight snapped, before she recoiled at her own harshness and in a lighter tone of voice she added. "I mean, why do you think I'd have any reason to be unhappy? I've got lots of great friends, I'm the student of Equestria's most popular princess, and I've even overcome my fear of leading. What more could a mare want?"

"You're thinking about Chrysalis again, aren't you?" Spike commented, raising an eyebrow at Starlight's happy statement. Starlight's reaction was all he needed to confirm his belief. The very mentioning of that name caused the unicorn to noticeably recoil, even shiver slightly as though a cold wind had just blown past her.

With a reluctant sigh, Starlight confessed. "You saw what happened, Spike. You were there. I thought I'd reached out to her much like Twilight had with me, but I was wrong. And now she's out there, on the run from her own subjects, and likely only thinking about how to get even. And if she ever does return, chances are no one will be even remotely forgiving with her. I was hoping I could help her avoid the path I took, a path that almost cost me everything. What if it had been somepony instead of Twilight who had confronted me during that time travel fiasco? Would they have been so forgiving, or would they have just left me to rot in a dungeon like I deserved?"

Spike reached out to Starlight and put a claw around her neck. "I know how you feel, I've been down a similar path before. You already know about my giant-dragon-problem and my issues at the Equestria Games. All I can say is, you can't keep dwelling on your failures forever. It's not healthy, and it never does you any good."

"But it wasn't something as trivial as a torch lighting ceremony or losing control of myself because I didn't know better," Starlight complained. "I had a chance to remove one more threat from Equestria and save another creature from making the same mistakes I made, and I failed. So what I am supposed to have learned from that? Is there even a lesson to be learned, or I am just supposed to take it as a sign that my own redemption can be called into question?"

Spike groaned and probably would've faceclawed if he didn't have the one claw on Starlight's neck. "Starlight, you tried your best to reach out to Chrysalis, and there's nothing more you could've done. It was her own fault of not listening to you. And look at everything else you did. You single hoofedly led a team to save everypony, even while you had your doubts about being a leader."

"It was really just a matter of luck," Starlight unhappily replied, sighing again. "For a while there, it looked for sure like I had failed. And it was my fault that Discord and Trixie got captured. Had Chrysalis not tried to drain the love from Thorax, she would've won."

Spike could sense that his talk with Starlight wasn't going to produce any productive results, so he simply told her. "You need to tell Twilight about this. She's not a mind reader, you know. You can't expect her to help without doing anything!"

Starlight hoped to come up with a good counter-argument for Spike, and even opened her mouth to try and issue a protest. "But Spike-" She began, only to be cut off.

"Starlight, please," Spike pleaded in interruption, trying not to sound rude. "Promise me you'll at least talk to her? You can't hold onto this forever!"

Upon looking into Spike's pleading eyes, Starlight found her will to resist draining away. So with another reluctant sigh she told the dragon. "Oh, alright. I promise I'll tell Twilight next chance I get. I just hope she doesn't think I'm silly for being so fixated on one thing."

"Nah, that's crazy talk." Spike said in reply, and he turned to leave. But then suddenly, his body began to glow!

Now, Starlight had never seen this before, but she'd heard Twilight and Rarity mention it once before. Apparently, the glow meant one thing and one thing only. "Spike, you're being called to the land of dragons?!" The unicorn exclaimed.

"I guess so," Spike replied, sounding rather uncertain of himself. "But why's Ember calling me now?"

* * *

Hoping that perhaps Twilight would have the answer, Spike and Starlight immediately dashed to the throne room where they found Twilight sitting in her chair while overlooking the table map. Upon looking at Spike, she quickly took notice of the glow surrounding his body, and she knew right away what was happening. "So, Spike, looks like you're going on another trip to the dragon lands. You lucky son of a mare, that's the second time in less than a year!"

"Yeah, lucky me!" Spike sarcastically remarked.

"Do you have any idea why Dragon Lady Ember would call on Spike now of all times?" Starlight asked her teacher, completely forgetting about the promise she had just made. "You and Ember write to each other, don't you?"

Twilight nodded and explained. "I haven't gotten a letter back from her recently, so I assume she must be very busy with her duties as Dragon Lady. But I'm certain that she has a good reason for calling Spike."

"I suppose I'd better get going then," Spike quipped. "I mean, this glow's not gonna turn off all by itself you know."

Twilight and Starlight both chuckled a bit at Spike's remark, before Spike dashed off to collect a few valuables to take with him on his trip. He wasn't sure how long he'd be gone for, and he wanted to make sure he came prepared in case it would be awhile before he could return to Equestria.

Starlight was about to head off as well, when Twilight spoke up and stopped her. "Starlight." She called in a tone that, while it didn't sound unhappy, still sounded serious and concerned.

"Yes?" Starlight reluctantly replied, even though she wished she hadn't.

"Why don't you accompany Spike on his journey?" Twilight suggested. "It's nice to get out and see the world every once in awhile."

"Me?!" Starlight asked, surprised that Twilight would ask such a thing of her. "But Twilight, I've never even been to the dragon lands before."

"Making this an excellent opportunity to rectify that," Twilight said with a smile. "Plus a little change of scenery will do you some good."

"Whatever do you mean?" Starlight asked, while in the back of her mind she was wondering. " _Could it be what I think it is?_ "

As if to answer Starlight's mental question, Twilight replied with. "I know you're still a little shaken up by what happened in the changeling hive with Queen Chrysalis."

Starlight nearly recoiled in shock! "You knew?!" She exclaimed.

"It took some time to notice, but those insecurities started to become hard to ignore after a while," Twilight explained to Starlight. "I went through something similar after my encounter with Chrysalis, and I know how much it must've torn you up when she said what she said. Think of this as a chance to put it all behind you and clear your head."

"And what do you mean by that?" Starlight questioned. "You're not making any sense at all!"

"I realized that much like how Princess Celestia sent me out into the world to learn about friendship instead of keeping me confined to Canterlot, I need to start giving you chances to do the same," Twilight replied. "Whatever the problem is that Ember is encountering, I'm certain that you and Spike can handle it. Besides, Spike loves hanging out with you, you've become like a sister to him."

Starlight blushed at Twilight's comment. "If you say so." Starlight shrugged. She wasn't certain if anything Twilight had just said would actually come true, but she wasn't about to question her mentor on something as important as dealing with a foreign power.

Twilight got down from her throne and gave Starlight a reassuring pat and a friendly smile as she added. "Don't you worry, Spike's made the journey before, everything will work out just fine. Do give Dragon Lady Ember my regards, and tell her to write again soon, it's been ages since I've last gotten a letter from her."

"Will do, I guess." Starlight replied, before she dashed out of the throne room to look for Spike.

* * *

It wasn't long before Starlight and Spike were on their way, the journey to the dragon lands began with a train ride but the railroad could only take the two so far, and eventually they had to get off.

"Guess we're going to have to foot it the rest of the way there, or hoof it in your case." Spike said to Starlight, as they left the train station at the southern end of Equestria and headed off to the west, following the faint smell of smoke and the distant trace of volcanic ash in the wind.

"You've met Ember before, right?" Starlight reluctantly asked Spike, as they made their way across the uninhabited landscape. "What's she like exactly? Is she friendly?"

Spike turned to look at Starlight and told her. "Well, yeah, I guess. She said she was new to friendship when we met during the gauntlet, but she still came to my rescue when Garble attacked."

"Oh yeah, Garble. You mentioned him once or twice before, I think." Starlight replied, trying to recall what little information she had about Spike's adventures in the dragon lands.

Spike clenched his claws in anger as he muttered to himself. "He gives dragons a bad name. I'm glad Ember and I were able to put him in his place, and with any luck he'll never bother anyone ever again. If he does, I'll make him sorry!"

Starlight was both surprised and a bit unsettled at the sight of Spike getting so worked up, even when she was being thickheaded and stubborn he usually never got this angry. At worst he expressed annoyance and frustration, but he never seemed to get outright angry. Whoever this Garble was, he must've been really bad if just talking about him made Spike so upset. She wanted to say something to hopefully calm down Spike, but she didn't know what, nothing would come out.

At last, as Celestia's sun began to lower in the west, signaling the arrival of evening, Spike and Starlight felt their feet and hooves touching not dirt but the rocky cobblestones that defined the dragon lands. A strong smell of volcanic ash and brimstone filled the air.

And there, perched atop a gigantic stone pillar, was a female dragon with eyes a brilliant shade of red, dark blue spikes on the top of her head, scales a brilliant cyan in color with a turquoise underbelly, and wings the same cyan color as her scales but with the interior tips ranging in color from cobalt blue to moderate indigo. Atop her head was a small golden crown with a few gemstones clearly melded into it.

Starlight concluded that this dragon must be Dragon Lady Ember. " _Funny, I thought she'd be a lot bigger._ " She thought to herself, as Ember unfolded her wings and flew down to greet her visitors.

"Spike! Thank goodness you're here!" Ember exclaimed, embracing Spike in a hug. Then her eyes turned to the unicorn mare standing next to him. "And... uh... who's your friend?"

"Oh, her? That's Starlight Glimmer, but you can just call her Starlight if you want," Spike explained to Ember. "She's Twilight's student."

Ember scratched her head for a moment, before she suddenly remembered something. "Ah yes, Princess Twilight mentioned once or twice that she had a student. But aren't you a little old to be a student of a princess?"

Starlight blushed in embarrassment, even though Ember wasn't the first one to ask such a question. "Well, Twilight doesn't seem to think so, and neither does anypony else. You must be Dragon Lady Ember, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Same here," Ember replied, as she and Starlight shook claw and hoof respectively. "But why exactly have you come? I wasn't expecting anypony to show up."

"Twilight figured Starlight could use a change of scenery, she's been a bit down in the dumps lately," Spike explained, and then he added. "It's a long story."

Deciding to quickly change the subject before Ember had a chance to ask, Starlight immediately spoke up and said. "So, why did you call Spike here, Dragon Lady Ember?"

"Just Ember will do, thank you very much," Ember said with a slight hint of impatience. "Just because I'm the leader of all dragons doesn't mean everyone I meet has to keep addressing me as Dragon Lady all the time. It's so frustrating."

"So, Ember, what's the situation?" Spike asked, a great deal of concern expressed in his tone. "This is the first time you've ever called me here like this."

Ember looked at Spike and Starlight, then looked around as if she suspected someone might be watching. When she was certain that wasn't the case, she motioned for Spike and Starlight to follow her to the cave she called home. It wasn't anything grand, just a few small trinkets and gemstones loosely scattered about, with only the occasional crystal for light. Once both Spike and Starlight were inside the cave with her, Ember carefully rolled a stone to seal off the entrance, prompting Starlight to light up her horn to illuminate the cave's darkness. It was only then that Ember explained the reason for her apparent distress call. "A challenge has been made to my legitimacy as ruler of the dragons," She told her guests, a sense of worry and dread mixed into her very serious tone. "There are those who say I didn't win the gauntlet on my own, and therefore I'm not fit to lead the dragons."

"That's ridiculous!" Spike shouted in anger. "The rules were, whoever retrieves the bloodstone scepter from the flamecano gets to be the next dragon lord, and that's exactly what you did! Who in their right mind would think to question your rightfully earned title?!"

"I'll give you three guesses," Ember remarked, her voice now shifting to one of frustration. "And here's a hint, his name starts with a G."

Spike immediately knew who Ember was talking about, and he felt an entire new wave of anger wash over him. "Garble! I should've known!" He grumbled. "He just doesn't know when to give up, does he?"

"It would seem not," Ember sighed, before she then added. "He's been going around talking about how you were the one who touched the bloodstone scepter, and that you and I worked together for most of the gauntlet. He's claiming that since I had help, my victory doesn't count and he should be crowned dragon lord."

"No way! With him in charge, dragons and ponies would be at war!" Spike protested. "Surely, he must know that! Even a guy like him can't be that thickheaded!"

"Well, he's not alone I'm afraid," Ember unhappily said. "He's got a lot of dragons supporting him, they're calling for me to step down. The only reason why I haven't, is because there are just as many dragons who support me and say I won fair and square. The arguing has been going on for some time now."

"But if that's the case, then why did you call me here?" Spike asked Ember. "Even if Garble has support, surely you could resolve this dispute on your own, right?"

What Ember said next made both Spike and Starlight gasp. "Unfortunately, there are talks of war! Garble and his supporters are threatening to attack Equestria and burn everything to the ground, and what's even worse is that even some of my supporters want that to happen."

"What?!" Spike and Starlight both exclaimed, their mouths dropping open in shock.

"It's true, I'm afraid," Ember said as she hung her head. "And that's why I called you here, Spike. I need your help. You're the only dragon who's lived with ponies and the one who actually won that gauntlet. You might be the only one who can talk some sense into the dragons before it's too late."

"But what about your father, Dragon Lord Torch?" Spike asked Ember. "Surely he could put a stop to all of this."

"Alas, when a new dragon lord or dragon lady is crowned, the old one must retire and disappear," Ember replied, defeat clearly registered in her tone. "It's forbidden for former dragon lords or dragon ladies to interfere on behalf of their successors, the penalty is permanent exile from the dragon lands. And even if that wasn't the case, my father said he's never coming back here. He told me he was going to retire to a nice beach somewhere far away, and maybe tour Equestria in disguise someday."

"Oh." Spike said, as he realized that option of last resort was off the table.

"Indeed, and I can't even write to him for advice or guidance, I don't know where he's gone off to," Ember told Spike and Starlight. "There's no one else left I can turn to. Please, you have to help me, both of you!"

"What?! Me?!" Starlight exclaimed, hoping that somehow she'd misheard.

"Yes," Ember replied, causing Starlight's heart to sink. "Twilight has mentioned the many great accomplishments you've both achieved, especially you, Starlight."

Starlight, however, began to immediately freak out! Were it not for the boulder blocking the exit, she would've bolted right then and there! "Why me?! I can't possibly be of any help, I don't know the first thing about dragons!"

"Come on, Starlight, it's not that big a deal, Ember and I can teach you." Spike offered, reaching out a claw to try and reassure Starlight.

Starlight brushed Spike's claw away, already she was starting to hyperventilate and a cold sweat was working its way down her face. "You don't get it, either of you! This isn't like some friendship assignment where if I mess up I can always try again the next day, no harm, no foul! If I fail here, war could be on the horizon! This is serious, and I'm not gonna be of any help to either of you!"

"Starlight, you helped all of us lots of times! You can do this!" Spike encouraged, trying to calm Starlight down.

"But this _is_ different!" Starlight protested. "Heck, I was lucky I succeeded with that rescue mission! And luck isn't going to save us, this time! I don't even know who this Garble is, let alone how I'm supposed to help you against him! I wasn't with you when you last came to these lands, I was collecting the things from my cottage in my old village because I thought I was never going to go back there after apologizing to them! What if I mess up like I did when I was trying to ignore my friendships lessons?! What if this time I make a mistake that can't be fixed?! I don't know why you think I'm going to be of any help, Spike, because I won't be! You and Ember are going to have to accomplish this task without me, I'm just going to find a way out of here and head back home! Maybe if I'm lucky I can warn Twilight in case war does break out."

Before Starlight could even think of trying to escape, however, Spike grabbed her leg and held onto it. "Starlight, please!" Spike looked up with puppy dog eyes.

Starlight wanted nothing more than to run away, this was something far above what she'd tackled before and this time failure really carried a high price! Even with her rescue mission, there was always the chance if she failed somepony else could come along or that she might at least give one of her friends or the princesses an opening to escape. Here, however, the consequences of failure were perhaps the highest they could possibly be. But in spite of all that, something in the back of her mind told Starlight that Spike was right. " _You're never going to get over your failure to redeem Chrysalis if you keep fixating on it so much,_ " She thought to herself. " _Spike has always been there for you when you needed his help in the past, he didn't rat you out to Twilight when you were nervous about meeting Sunburst again. And he didn't tell Twilight about your plan to combine five friendship lessons into one. The least you can do is repay him by helping him out here._ "

Starlight was silent for several moments, she still very much doubted she could be of much help to either dragon. But if there was even the slightest possibility that she could make a difference, then wasn't it worth taking the risk? At last, after several deep breaths, Starlight made up her mind and told Spike and Ember. "I... guess I can help." Starlight looked down at Spike, who instead of letting go, just continued hugging her leg in happiness. Starlight could only smile and ruffle his scales.

Starlight then cleared her throat. "What exactly are we supposed to do though?"

"Well, I don't really have much of a plan. But here's what I'm thinking we can do," Spike spoke up, and he gestured for Ember and Starlight to come close. Then he told them both the following. "I'll talk to Garble and try to talk some sense into him. Maybe he just doesn't realize what war would actually mean for dragons and ponies. Starlight, you can stay with Ember and try to help her gather support to stop the war. Ember, when do the dragons decide whether or not they'll go to war?"

"The council will vote on the decision by this time tomorrow," Ember informed Spike and Starlight. "I can't say with any degree of certainty whether they'll vote yes or no for war though, and it's going to be close."

"Then there's no time to waste!" Spike declared. "First thing tomorrow, I'm going to find Garble and with any luck get him to back down. And Starlight, you do your best to help Ember. Hopefully, we'll be able to make the difference necessary to prevent war!"

"In the meantime, perhaps it would be best if you two stayed here with me?" Ember suggested. "Dragons are still a bit weary of letting ponies onto their lands, and I don't want an international incident on top of the possibility of war."

"So, we'll sleep here for tonight?" Starlight asked, to which Ember nodded. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I brought a sleeping bag with me." She remarked, surprised that she could make such a statement despite the gravity of the situation. But in spite of that, she, Spike, and even Ember found it hard not to laugh. In fact they quite needed a laugh, for they all knew that tomorrow was going to be no laughing matter.

* * *

The next day, Spike and Starlight reluctantly split up, with Spike setting off to find Garble. It didn't take long for him to do so, the red scaled dragon bumped into Spike before long, and as it turned out he was also glowing.

"I should've known _you'd_ show up, you namby pamby pony loving pipsqueak." Garble snorted, as a faint puff of smoke left his nostrils.

"So, you got called by Dragon Lady Ember too huh?" Spike asked.

Garble glared at Spike and folded his arms across his chest. "That's soon to be Ex-Dragon Lady Ember, and of course I got called. She's called up every dragon there is for this important vote. Too bad for her it's going to end with her being decrowned and me getting the title of Dragon Lord was that rightfully mine!"

"You never learn, do you?" Spike remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Funny, I could say the same for you. I don't get why you still stick up for those pathetic little ponies," Garble angrily replied. "Don't you get it, squirt? They're holding you back! Their 'friendship' is just their way of making you do stuff for them!"

"Shows what you know!" Spike protested, clenching his claws in anger. "But I didn't come here to argue with you about friendship."

"Then why are you wasting my time? I've got more important things to worry about than your stupid pony stuff." Garble said, pointing a claw at Spike's chest, and he turned to leave.

Not willing to let Garble get away that easily, Spike quickly shouted out to him. "Wait, you have to listen to me! I came here to talk to you!"

Garble spun around and his eyes widened, he then used one of his claws to clean out his ears. "Uh, I'm sorry. I must've not heard you properly," He commented. "Would you care repeating that, a little louder if you wouldn't mind?"

"I said I came here to talk to you!" Spike said as loud as he possibly could, making sure Garble heard every last word. "You're talking about a WAR, right?!"

If Garble was at all concerned, he certainly didn't show it. He just glared at Spike again and told him. "If you're talking about the princesses, I'm not concerned. Those ponies are so soft that they'll lay down in an instant rather than hurt us. Sure, maybe a few dragons will get hurt before that happens, but as the old saying goes: You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

Now it was Spike's turn for his eyes to widen, and he was certain that if his mouth had dropped any further it would've fallen right off his face! "Are you crazy?!" He shouted at Garble. "You can't possibly think that's okay! Countless dragons and ponies will get hurt, or worse, and it'll be **YOUR** fault! Is that really what you want?!"

"All I care about is making sure ponies learn to respect us dragons, and that a pony loving dragon isn't our leader!" Garble replied, barely even acknowledging Spike's presence. "If war is the only way to do that, so be it!"

"But Garble-!" Spike protested, hoping to somehow talk the red scaled dragon out of his clearly misguided attempt at revenge.

"But nothing! I'm done talking to you, runt!" Garble snorted, turning around and walking away. "You'll see, in just a few hours from now, everything will be going according to my plan! And there is nothing you can say or do to stop me! Goodbye, good luck, and good riddance!" And with a flap of his wings, Garble took off.

Spike was speechless, he had no idea just what he was supposed to do now! It was clear that Garble wasn't willing to listen to reason, he was dead set on getting his way, the consequences be darned!

And so, as he prepared to walk back and tell Ember and Starlight the bad news, Spike was thinking to himself. " _I sure hope Ember and Starlight are having better luck than I am. Otherwise, things are gonna get real ugly._ "

* * *

Starlight was trying her best to keep her anxiety under control, as Ember was leading her towards the location of the dragon council, the very same council would decide whether or not to wage war with Equestria in a matter of hours.

"Okay Starlight, no pressure," Starlight said to herself, trying her best to give herself a mental pep talk. "You're just the first pony in documented history to be invited by a reigning dragon lady to speak to a council of dragons."

"Is that your idea of moral support or something?" Ember asked. "Because I fail to see how that's supposed to even remotely help you."

Starlight gulped. "Yeah, I'm bad at this. Like, really, **REALLY** bad!" She proceeded to facehoof herself. "What was I thinking?! I can't possibly do this! This is way out of my league, why should any dragon listen to a pony like me?!"

"At least they'll hopefully be willing to listen to you," Ember commented, stopping outside the entrance to the cave that housed the dragon council. "I don't know how my dad did it, but he always had a way with words. Whereas it seems to me like I can barely get my point across no matter how hard I try. Perhaps that's why Garble's issued this challenge now, he knows I'm vulnerable."

Starlight was quite surprised to hear Ember say such things, the dragon lady had previously seemed so strong and sure of herself. But then again, Starlight had heard the saying "Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

"I'm still glad I entered that gauntlet, and I'm pretty sure I could've won on my own. But Garble is right about one thing," Ember added, sighing quite audibly. "I _did_ have help. Spike was the true victor, not me. Of course my dad didn't know that, and I wish more than anything I'd told him before he left. All I could think about back then was finally proving to him that I didn't need his protection, that I wasn't his little girl anymore. I didn't think to even ask him for advice, I just let him think I won that gauntlet, maybe because I wanted to believe I could truly be something other than just a princess. Perhaps I should've let Spike stay as dragon lord and taken the title for myself when I was truly ready, probably would've saved all this trouble. But hindsight is a real pain sometimes."

Starlight didn't know what to say at first. She wanted to find a way to reassure Ember that she could be an effective leader on her own, but Starlight herself had only recently overcome her own concerns about leadership. Was she really experienced enough to tell someone else how to rule effectively? Already, her thoughts shifted back to her encounter with Queen Chrysalis, and her failure to redeem the changeling. She could still picture it clear as day, she was reaching her hoof out in friendship, and for a moment it seemed like she had made a genuine connection. Given Chrysalis the opportunity to avoid the mistake Starlight herself had made. But then her hoof was swatted away coldly, and before Starlight had a chance to react, Chrysalis was gone, her thoughts consumed by revenge.

But upon taking a good look at Ember, Spike's words rang clearly in Starlight's head. " _Spike is right!_ " She thought to herself. " _The time has come for me to put my past failures behind me. Trixie said that even she made mistakes and that after making them it was best to move on. The pretending they never happened part probably wasn't sound, but the rest actually did make a point. If somepony like me could mess up and admit to in their own ways, yet not be afraid of failing, I suppose I shouldn't be afraid either._ " Taking a deep breath, Starlight took some time to think about what she wanted to say to Ember, before she finally opened her mouth to speak. "I know how it feels when you're just starting out as a leader. Fear is a powerful motivator, but you can't let control you. What I've come to learn is, be mindful of what you could be and what you are capable of at your very worst, but don't be afraid to make a tough decision if you think it's right. Some may hate you for it, others may praise you for it. But they'll agree you have guts."

"I know not every dragon is going to like me, and I certainly didn't expect the title of dragon lady to be easy," Ember replied, smiling a bit. "I suppose I've just gotten so concerned about the fact that Garble was able to challenge my authority, that I forgot what I was capable of. Still, I'm worried I know I'm going to make mistakes, even my dad made them. But what if I really mess up? What if I prevent war now, only to cause it further down the road?"

"You can't be afraid of the worst case scenarios all the time," Starlight told Ember. "But it's also wrong to rule without any fear of anyone or anything, that always leads to problems. When I ruled my village, I thought I had nothing to fear, that I could do whatever I wanted and everypony would thank me for it. But I was wrong, everything I did only made my villagers hate and fear me, to the point where they were glad to overthrow me when given the chance. I thought the threat of force would be enough to keep them in line and for a while, maybe it did. But in the long run I was only setting myself up for defeat. And what's even worse is that it wasn't until I was bested a second time, that I realized where I'd gone wrong, and that I had nopony but myself to blame. Above all things, a good leader is one that takes responsibility for their own actions. One that's not afraid to make mistakes, but strives to do their best in spite of that. And most importantly, a good leader is one that strives to do what's best not necessarily for themselves, but what's best for those they rule over."

Ember couldn't help but smile upon hearing Starlight's speech. "Sounds to me like you've overcome a lot in such a short time. Looks like Twilight was right to tell me about your past, and your concerns."

"You knew all along?!" Starlight asked, realizing that Ember had likely acted the way she had done to test her.

Ember nodded, giggling slightly. "It wasn't intentional, but when Garble issued his challenge and I wrote to Twilight for advice on what to do, she was the one who suggested having you accompany Spike. She hoped that if you had time to reflect, you'd realize that you don't have to beat yourself up so much over one failure. This was something of a friendship pop quiz, and you passed with flying colors!"

"So _that's_ why Twilight wanted me to accompany Spike here," Starlight realized as everything up to this point suddenly began to make sense. "Was Spike in on this as well?"

"A little bit," Spike spoke up, walking up to Starlight and Ember. "Twilight could tell you were upset about Chrysalis, and she also knew you weren't just going to get over it if she told you to. So she saw this as a chance not only for you to get out of the castle, but also a chance to put the past behind you."

Spike looked away, expecting Starlight to be mad with him, but instead Starlight walked over and hugged him tightly, and nuzzled his head in a motherly way. "You didn't have to do all of this for me, but I guess I should be grateful you and Twilight did. I _have_ been focusing a little too much on Chrysalis. I might not always succeed at something, but that's no reason to doubt myself," She then changed the subject by asking. "So, I take it you were unsuccessful talking sense into Garble?"

"...Yeah," Spike unhappily replied. "We're not out of the woods yet, though. We still need to speak with the council and hope that we can help Ember convince enough dragons to say no to war."

"Then come on, what are we waiting for?!" Ember shouted. "We've wasted enough time just sitting around, talking to each other!" And she led Spike and Starlight into the cave where the council was meeting. "Hope you don't mind, I brought 'delegates' with me. They're here on behalf of Princess Twilight of Equestria." She told the dragons gathered.

A few of the dragons mumbled to themselves and gave Spike and Starlight odd looks, but most of them didn't seem to notice or care. The issue of war was far more important than some visiting delegates they'd never seen before.

* * *

Spike and Starlight did their best to make their points known to the dragons, and Ember did her best to smooth over any difficulties the two faced. Eventually, the time came for the all important vote.

Reluctantly, Spike and Starlight moved up to the visitors wing of the council's cave, which was lined with gemstones and glowed with the occasional surge of lava that flowed through cracks in the rocks below.

Ember took her seat at the head of the council, and tried to keep a straight face as Garble walked in and stood amongst the council members. When all had been seated, Ember rose and cleared her throat. "My fellow subjects," She announced, trying to adjust the pitch of her voice so that it could be heard throughout the entire cave. "We have gathered here tonight to vote on a most important matter, whether or not we are to go to war with Equestria."

"And don't forget about who should be leading us!" Garble blurted out quite loudly. "Remember, I participated in that gauntlet to succeed Dragon Lord Torch, Ember was forbidden from participating!"

"Silence!" An elderly dragon with gray scales shouted. "We will consider that discussion in due time. And Garble, you will only speak when it is your turn to speak. That is how we do things here, and if you refuse to follow the rules, you will be dismissed and your challenge will be thrown out. Is that clear?!"

Garble reluctantly nodded and through clenched teeth he muttered. "Crystal."

"Good," The elderly dragon replied and turned to the other dragon council members. They ranged in size from barely bigger than Spike to almost as tall as Torch had been. Their scales and horns were of all sorts of different colors and hues, from the darkest shades of red and brown, to the lightest shades of white and pink. Some clearly looked old and about ready to fall asleep, while others seemed full of youth and vigor. "Now, if there are no further interruptions, let us proceed with the vote. A simple 'Yes' or 'No' will suffice."

A tense hush fell over the gathered dragons, Ember, Spike, Starlight, and even Garble. No one dared to say a word as the vote for war was conducted. One by one each dragon, when asked, raised their voice and said 'Yes' or 'No' depending on what they felt or what they had been told. Spike and Starlight tried to keep track of the votes, but it was a task that proved easier said than done when there seemed to be upwards of three hundred dragons that made up the council. And that was without counting Ember and Garble.

Garble seemed to be quite certain he would come out on top, and that war would be declared. For the entire time he stood at his assigned position with a fiendish grin on his face. A look that unnerved Spike, even though Ember didn't seem to be phased at all by it.

At last, after what felt like hours, the last of the votes were cast and a tally was performed. The elderly dragon from early and a couple of other dragons standing next to him chattered amongst themselves, then the elderly dragon flew over to Ember's position and whispered something into her ear. Her expression was one that Spike, Starlight, and Garble couldn't judge properly. Her eyebrows were raised slightly, and her mouth had moved ever so slightly, but it seemed that regardless of what she'd been told, she was trying her best to keep a straight face.

The silence that hung over the council cave was almost unbearable for Spike and Starlight, both of whom were silently pleading. "Please don't let war be declared! Please don't let war be declared!"

Clearing her throat, Ember spoke. "After careful consideration and tallying, the council has reached a decision," She announced, then she paused for a second or two, as if struggling to think about how to word what she wanted to say next in the proper way. "The final vote count is... one hundred and seventy one votes in favor of war with Equestria, one hundred and eighty five votes against war Equestria, and fifteen votes abstaining."

Garble was speechless and nearly collapsed in shock, while Spike and Starlight cheered loudly, clapping their claws and hooves respectively!

"And on the notion of whether or not I should step down as Dragon Lady," Ember went on. "The final vote count is... seventy votes in favor of my resignation, with only one of those votes recommending Garble for Dragon Lord, and three hundred and one votes in favor of me staying. Therefore, Garble's challenge is hereby dismissed."

"WHAT?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Garble exclaimed, before he angrily stormed out in protest. "I've never been more ashamed to call myself a dragon." He remarked, as he flew away.

"Now, if there are no other matters that need be addressed, the council is hereby adjourned." Ember declared, and one by one she and the rest of the dragons departed the cave.

* * *

As soon as Spike and Starlight had made their way outside, Spike stopped glowing. "Looks like our work here is done." He said to Starlight.

"I guess so," Starlight replied. "And you know something? I'd say the two of us make a pretty good team."

"Indeed you do," Ember smiled, approaching the two friends. "I knew the vote would be close, but I think you two made a real difference. Without your help and encouragement, I don't know if the council would've still voted against war."

Starlight tried her best not to blush, especially since this had mostly been a secret test Twilight had given her. And that reminded her of something. "Say, you _are_ going to write to Princess Twilight more often and more formally from now on, right?"

Ember giggled as she nodded. "Of course. Sorry again for having to rope you into this, but I'd say things worked out for the best. Feel free to come back and visit the dragon lands anytime. Any friend of Spike's is a friend of mine."

"I might just have to do that," Starlight replied, as she shook Ember's claw with her hoof. "There's still a lot about dragons that ponies don't know, and I'd like to help Twilight find out as much knowledge as she can."

"You two need any help getting home now?" Ember asked Starlight and Spike. "I could easily arrange for a royal chariot to take you back to Equestria."

Spike and Starlight looked at each other, and then at Ember. "Thanks, but I think we'll take the scenic route home. Perhaps next time though we'll come by chariot." Spike said, as he gave Ember a hug. Starlight couldn't help but notice the faint blush on Ember's cheeks.

"You two can consider yourselves honorary pen pals of yours truly," Ember called out to Spike and Starlight, as they set off for home. "If you need to know where to send the letters, just ask Twilight. And come back soon."

"We will!" Spike and Starlight promised. And so, Starlight had Spike climb on her back as she began to walk towards the border of the dragon lands.

They hadn't been walking for very long when Starlight said to Spike. "First King Thorax and now Dragon Lady Ember. You seem to have a knack for giving Equestria powerful new allies."

"Probably just lucky, I guess." Spike shrugged, prompting both him and Starlight to laugh as they traveled towards the setting sun.


End file.
